Free of Doubt
by Hikaru Morinaga
Summary: Post Ankoku. Marth didn't understand how he was getting so tongue-tied. He was usually much more eloquent than this. But love often does crazy things, even making the well-spoken absolutely speechless. MarthxSheeda. One shot.


**Free of Doubt**

"Where is Lord Marth?"  
Sheeda poked her head into the women's quarters, right where she knew Elice would be. After being given the run around by half of the castle's residents, she was at last directed to the prince's older sister.  
Elice was brushing her hair in the mirror of her vanity, her light blue hair curling gently at the ends. Sheeda had always joked that, if Elice ever cut her hair short, she could pass herself off as Marth's twin sister.

"Well he obviously wouldn't be in here, Lady Sheeda," one of the maids answered from the small room off the sitting area. "Since this is girls only. Though I heard he often sneaks in here to look at you--"  
Another one of the maids slapped at her arm with a dry towel. "Don't be sayin' such things about Prince Marth! He's a respectable man and wouldn't peek on any of 'em."  
Sheeda twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I wasn't expecting him to be in here, I was just wondering if anyone knew where he was."

Elice placed her hairbrush down on her vanity and turned in her seat.  
"Last I heard, he was in his study doing paperwork," she replied, clipping the majority of her hair back. "I must admit that I haven't really seen my brother much as of late."  
Sheeda inclined her head. "Thank you, Lady Elice. Would you happen to know where his study is?"  
One of the maids, free from cleaning the bathroom area, threw the dirtied bathroom articles into a wicker basket by the door.  
"If you make a left out of this door and keep going, it should be all the way at the end. Just don't startle him - he gets so absorbed in his work, he scarcely hears anyone come in!"

Armed with this information, Sheeda excused herself from the room and made a left as soon as she was out the door.

-x-

Her footfalls reverberated off the stone walls of Castle Altea as she rounded one of the many hallway corners winding up a slight incline in the floor. At the end of the torch-lit corridor was a mahogany door left slightly ajar, a door she had only seen a few times - she was rarely ever on this floor, aside from the fact that her place of current residency was one of the rooms was not too far from where she currently stood. If she followed the maid's directions correctly, this was where Marth's study was. A sudden bout of nervousness overcame her. What if he didn't want visitors right now? She didn't want to interrupt him if he was doing something important, but the fact that his door was open a little proved that that probably wasn't the case. And what if there was someone else in there? That was all she had to do, interrupt an important meeting because she was a bit lonely.

"Sheeda, there is something I wish to - no, that doesn't sound quite right..."  
It was indeed Marth's voice - Sheeda would be able to recognise it from a mile away - and he sounded quite frustrated. Marth wouldn't normally say such things aloud, so he had to be alone, and she didn't hear someone answer or offer input.  
He cleared his throat and tried again. "Sheeda, I wish to ask you something..."  
Opening the door carefully so it wouldn't squeak (as she remembered it did), she snuck in, hidden from his view by a large bookcase.  
"Maybe I should just be blunt and come out with my feelings? ...This is not my area of expertise - Father always said confessions of love were for women to do, not men..."

Quill scratched against parchment as Sheeda peered around the bookcase. What was he doing, writing a love letter or something? Was that the all important 'paperwork' he had to attend to?  
_How unlike him_, she thought, leaning against the back of the bookcase. _Writing a speech is one thing, writing letters to other dignitaries, yes. But a love letter? I'd sooner see him quilting than writing such._  
"Maybe Sister can help me with this..."

Now was as good of a time as any to come out of hiding. Any longer and she was afraid of what else he would give away, and she didn't want to scare him _too_ much. Sidling around the dark wooded bookcase, Sheeda was now in plain view, though Marth was so absorbed in whatever it was he was doing, he failed to notice her.  
"Help you with what, Lord Marth?"

Marth's ink well nearly went flying across the room, for he didn't expect to be interrupted in what he often referred to as his 'sanctuary'.  
"S-Sheeda!" he said, one hand steadying his ink well, the other clutching his chest. "I...I wasn't expecting you to be here... You startled me." It wasn't as if he was expecting her to just waltz right in without announcing herself. Or perhaps she did and he just didn't hear it? Marth knew that, with Sheeda, it could have been either.

Sheeda sashayed over to his desk and leaned against the front of it, a grin gracing her features.  
"Dearest Marth," she said, her voice light. "Maybe I can help you with your problem?"  
Marth's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at her suggestion.  
_Oh yes, you can help me find the right words to propose to you with._  
"I appreciate your offer, but--"  
"I heard you wanted to ask me something, Lord Marth?"  
Marth froze.  
_Did she overhear me talking to myself? I really shouldn't do such a thing... I never know who is exactly listening..._  
What was he going to say to her? He wanted to use just the right words, the right gestures, plan out the right setting.

Even though he knew his face wouldn't betray his inner feelings, he willed himself to calm, for he knew his voice would give him away.  
"...All right then."  
Sheeda moved so she was standing on the side of his desk, half her weight on her one leg, giving her a look of casualty. This was _Marth_ she was with - there was no need to be so formal around him. He stood so that they were more even in height - he didn't want to look _up_ at her and propose; he didn't find that very romantic. Not like he knew much about romance in the first place.

"Sheeda...I..." He paused to once again calm himself. He didn't know why he was so nervous, but he was.  
_Just tell her how you feel._  
"I need to tell you how I feel about you."  
Sheeda's heart skipped a beat just then. "But Marth, I already _know_ how you feel about me."  
Marth blinked. _You don't know the half of it._ "Well yes, you know I...care for you a lot, but I..." Marth didn't understand how he was getting so tongue-tied. He was usually much more eloquent than this.  
_Just say 'I love you'._

"I...I love you, Sheeda," he said at last, grasping her hand as he closed just a little bit of distance. "And I can't see spending my life without you."  
_There. Much more eloquent._  
He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist then, and she slung her arms around his neck. He lowered his head a little so he could kiss her forehead; he had grown a few inches since the war had ended, and it was a bigger gap than it used to be.

"Just _say it_, Marth. Say whatever it is you want to say." Sheeda knew what was coming, but she wasn't about to let Marth know that. Especially since he worked up all this courage to say _something_ about his true feelings.  
Marth kissed her forehead again and cupped her cheek.  
In such a soft whisper Sheeda almost missed, Marth said the line she had always dreamed of him uttering in her ear.  
"Marry me, Sheeda. I want you to marry me."

Sheeda stared at him for a few seconds, shocked that her dream was actually unfolding before her eyes.  
_Say something, stupid_! her mind screamed. _Do something_!  
So she kissed him softly, relishing the sudden sensation, the sudden high. She had waited forever to be able to do this, and she was going to enjoy it. She pushed him against the wall behind them as he pulled her closer; deepening the kiss, she ran her fingers through his hair and loved every second they could stay like this.

When she pulled away, Marth's face was flushed - he never expected his first kiss to be like _that_ - and she had a look of triumph on her face.  
"Is that enough to free your mind of doubt?"  
Before Marth could say anything, she had already captured his lips again.


End file.
